6 planes 'held hostage': ILFC

International Lease Finance Corp is struggling to retrieve six Airbus SAS aircraft in India formerly operated by Kingfisher Airlines, saying it’s being “held hostage” by government authorities.

The world’s second-biggest aircraft-leasing company had sought to repossess the planes, saying the carrier was in default of contract conditions.

While the civil aviation authority said it has deregistered four aircraft and will soon proceed with the other two, ILFC still can’t get them back because other government bodies have yet to cooperate, ILFC Chief Executive Officer Henri Courpron said on Tuesday.

“Deregistration is only one of the steps you need to get the airplanes out of the country,” Courpron said in an interview in Dublin at a conference sponsored by Airline Economics.